(Whispering) Second part! Yay! Hehe… Um… still hiding… (Pulls out of a map of the area) hmm… Oh ebjoy the story! (Shuriken flies overhead) Ach!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
The smell of smoke caught Haru's attention and she opened her eyes, still in her bed. The first thing she noticed was the flickering orange light casting on her walls. She jumped out of bed and ran to the window. Konoha was burning. With a burst of adrenaline, Haru grabbed her forehead protector and cloak, and ran out the door. She threw the cloak onto her shoulders. Dashing down the street, she found many of Konoha's finest fighting Orochimaru's men. She growled.
"Orochimaru!" She yelled, "Come out, you bastard snake!"
She didn't have to wait long before a pair of sound ninjas came out, sadistic grins on their faces. Haru glared.
"Where is Orochimaru?" she asked in a calm, deadly voice.
The female sound ninja grinned.
"Should we tell her, dear brother, or play with this mouse for a while?"
The male grinned as well.
"Let's play!"
The pair charged at Haru, using their ultrasonic powers to boost speed. They came around her sides. With a sudden flurry of movements to unseal her chakra, she moved, sending rivulets of water at them. They dodged.
"Oh! A water mouse!" The female yelled, her grin getting a bit wider, "I thought we had killed all of your people!"
Haru charged at her.
"A lie!"
The male attacked her from the side, sending her sprawling. Haru got back up quickly. She formed another flurry of movements to release more chakra.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" she cried, and her image split into twelve different copies of herself.
They surrounded the Sound Shinobi. The twins grinned.
"Using that childish technique, tsk, tsk, I'd have expected more of a Mist Ninja!" The female yelled and attacked.
The male followed suit, and one by one, the clones fell, until there was seven left. Haru unsealed her chakra again with another hand movements.
"Rain of the Seven Seals!" She cried.
The two Sounds stopped in their tracks, fear flooding into their faces. The sky suddenly grew unearthly black, and each Haru, clone and the original alike, made a different symbol with their hands, surrounding the twins. Seals of purple, white, green, blue, red, brown, and black formed under their feet.
"Ikazuchi!"
"Ranpu!"
"Kaze!"
"Mizu!"
"Kasai!"
"Tsuchi!"
"Kumori!"
The seals melded together underneath the twins.
"Die!"
A shaft of lightning shot from the sky, then light, then wind, then water, then fire, then earth, and finally shadow, the seals for their corresponding element showing its face as each was summoned. When the light form the Seven Elements dissipated, the twins were gone, and Orochimaru was standing there.
"I see you easily dispatched of my puppets, dear little sister…"
"Fuck you… We are not related…" Haru growled, acid in her voice.
Orochimaru grinned, more sadistically then the twins.
"Then you must kill me to rid yourself of my presence!"
Haru closed her eyes, feeling the hate and anger boiling up within her, waking her old blood. She glared hatefully at him, tying on her forehead protector.
"Let's go…"
Haru woke with a gasp. She was shaking and sweating heavily, her eyes out of focus. When she could calm herself enough to see, she looked out the window. No fire. No death. No Orochimaru. Just Konoha sleeping peacefully under the surreal light of the moon. Panting as if she had been running for hours, Haru got out of bed lowering her feet to the floor. She tried to stand, but her knees buckled. She steadied herself with the bed. Picking up her cloak, she wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, and walked out the door, standing on her porch, overlooking Konoha.
"I won't let it happen…" Haru muttered lightly to herself, "They won't die… no one will die… except Orochimaru…"
She looked once more over the village, and walked back inside, planning her trek to the very depths of Orochimaru's domain, the Village of Sound.
Dawn crept into the village, night and dark stealing away from the golden rays. It found that Haru had not slept anymore, and was standing on one of the many wooden walkways in Konoha, overlooking the villages entrance. She was deep in thought, her eyes icy. Neji walked up to her, concerned, but Haru made no attempt to communicate, she didn't even take notice in him.
"Haru…?"
No response.
"Haru?" he said a bit louder, touching her shoulder.
Haru jumped, looked to her left then right to see him there. She smiled nervously.
"Oh… Neji…" she said quietly, avoiding his gaze.
"What's wrong…?"
"Nothing…"
"Don't lie to me, Haru…"
Haru continued to stare at the gate.
"I… Had a dream…"
Neji looked down at her, listening as Haru reiterated her dream. He closed his eyes when she finished.
"I see…"
Haru was biting back tears. She wiped her hands across her eyes, for she hadn't cried in years. Neji embraced her, and the tears came suddenly. Haru shook with sobs. Neji kissed the top of her head.
"It was only a dream, Haru… shhh…"
"It felt real! I felt each blow, I felt emotion, I smelled death and blood! I was there!"
Neji was silent as her tears soaked into the front of his kimono. He held her tighter. Haru's tears stopped, but she kept her head buried in his chest.
"I'm going to kill him… you know… I'm going to find him…"
"I know…"
"Even you're not going to stop me…"
"I know... There's no way I'm coming with you either… is there?"
Haru shook her head.
"No… this is a thing I must do… he is of my blood…"
They stood there, in each others embrace, silent, for moments, what seemed like hours. Finally, Haru silently unraveled herself from Neji's arms.
"I'm going now…"
For the first time that morning, she looked into his eyes. She didn't want to leave him.
"I…" she turned, "Goodbye…"
She began to walk away, the weight of love, hate, and grief all weighing on her shoulders. The rising sun reflected off of her figure, then she was gone. Neji looked after her for the longest time, and then turned, walking into Konoha.